Thierings on Tour

Follow along our journey as our family of 5 from Sydney travel around Australia for 30 weeks.

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    • Day 64 – Waterfalls and Waterholes

      It was time to head back south and that meant saying goodbye yet again to our road besties. Sadly this time we really don’t know when we will cross paths again, but we promised the kids we would try to align the itineraries again… 

      First stop for the day was Florence Falls and as it was still early, we decided just to have a look from afar rather than swim there. It was a great view and one to keep for a swim next time we come up this way.

      Next stop was Buley Rockhole, which was the most perfect spot to swim with kids. There were little plunge pools at a few different levels and whilst the water was cool, it was refreshing as the pools were in the sun. 

      Everyone had fun jumping in or sitting in the falls enjoying it. It was the perfect way to start the day!
      Now trying to get everyone out of there to keep going was much harder on the other hand…

      We really wanted to stop at the Magnetic Termite Mounds as well, but there was no van parking and I had a meeting that was about to start, so we decided to skip them and continue on.

      Instead we headed to Adelaide River Inn, which houses the water buffalo Charlie, which some people may know from the movie Crocodile Dundee when Paul Hogan tames it. The girls loved seeing the buffalo despite never even hearing about the movie and were also very impressed with the big crocodile model at the pub.

      It was a busy day of driving and sightseeing, but we made it to Edith Falls with enough time for a swim. The water was freezing when you first jumped in, but swimming out a bit further to where the sun hit the water was nice and even the girls got more comfortable with the idea.

      The final stop for the day was Katherine and we decided to extend our existing stay, which meant not having to move the van for 3 nights. I was stolen with that… given we got in so late we decided to enjoy a dinner out. It was a delicious Thai restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. Of course the girls made some new friends immediately, they really are such social butterflies!

      Kms travelled – 359

    • Day 63 – Litchfield National Park

      It was great to have the time for a slow start this morning and everyone was in a good mood, excited to explore waterfalls and waterholes! 

      The first stop for the day was Wangi Falls, a gorgeous setting with two huge waterfalls cascading either side of the gorge plunge pool.

      One thing that did freak us out was seeing a water monitor swim past everyone as we initially thought it was a snake. But then we saw a second one sunning itself and it all made sense.

      As we arrived relatively early, there weren’t too many people there and everyone started swimming out. Jazzy was a bit scared at first, but then pushed herself to overcome her fear and swam all the way out to the waterfall by herself – we were so proud of her! Scarly jumped on my back in a ring and holding on to my neck and we also joined the others on the other side. There was a cool little nook in the cliff face with a lovely, warm plunge pool. Everyone was enjoying sitting there and warming up before making the swim back across the gorge.

      What a truly beautiful and memorable experience!

      Then we went on a little hike to the tree tops and enjoyed the view from the top. Scarly really should have stayed back as I ended up carrying her the whole way, but this girl just won’t leave my side on the trip, so we are permanently glued together…

      After a quick bite to eat we were off to the next wonderful place – Walker Creek swimming holes. There was a short walk in and then a series of plunge pools connected by mini waterfalls. It was a great place to cool off as it was getting really hot now. 

      There was jumping and swimming and lots of fun before we headed back to our campsite.

      Back at camp, the afternoon was spent relaxing, the boys watched their Sunday footy and we had a cheeseboard, whilst the girls spent yet more time in the pool. All in all, everyone had a great time.

      Kms travelled – 38

    • Day 62 – Crocodylus Park

      After a rough night with Scarly it felt extra hard getting up to start packing and moving again. 

      Chris was really concerned by the squeak that Toyota hasn’t fixed during their service and so wanted to get some other opinions. We hade a detour via a suspension retailer where a very helpful young man spent a good half hour crawling under the car checking different parts to try and identify the issue. There was nothing in it for him and it definitely wasn’t part of his role, he was just very kind and helpful. It’s so humbling to stumble across people who genuinely want to help….

      We headed on to Crocodylus Park as we had booked a boat tour at a specific time. Now this was impressive and a little bit scary when you see their eyes peer out of the water suddenly.

      The guide explained that back in the 80s there were only some 3,000 saltwater crocodiles in the wild and that a conservation and breeding program began, which has led to over 120,000 saltwater crocodiles now living in the wild. (I think it’s time to control them a bit, in my opinion!) more in zoos is fine by me…

      There were some 40 crocodiles in the river where we floated and whilst they are more docile in the winter months, there was enough action and jumping to see. I loved that the guide had a story and personality description for each and was amazed how she could tell them all apart so easily. 

      Grandma Suzie is the one that showed us the most teeth by jumping out of the water.

      After 45 minutes of cruising, which went way too fast, we were back on dry land and headed to explore the rest of the park. There were a lot of other animals, including two beautiful lions who were busy roaring away. What a majestic sound! 

      Then it was back to crocodiles to watch the feeding and learn about the breeding program. Males and females should always be fed separately due to the fact that males will happily attack the females over a bit of food. They have 64-66 teeth in their jaw, but can go through up to 11,000 teeth in their lifetime and only start going gummy and not growing new teeth when they get to their 80s or 90s. Wow! Their jaw force is equivalent to a semitrailer smashing into a concrete barrier, to give you an idea. 

      The big girls had a go at feeding them with the help of the zoo keeper, which was really cool.

      Some of these males were over 5m long and beastly! Definitely not one you’d want to encounter in the wild… 

      After all the feeding fun, we got to hold a baby crocodile. I was surprised to hear that this would have been 1-2 years old. It really goes to show how old the big beasts are when they get to 4-5m as they never stop growing. 

      Then it was time to head out of Darwin onto Litchfield National Park. We were reuniting with our road besties and the kids couldn’t wait! 

      The pool was magical, although a bit cold and all the adults enjoyed relaxing and catching up over a couple of drinks.

      Kms travelled – 129

    • Day 61 – Darwin

      Today was going to be a busy day – we had both the car and van booked in for a service, which meant packing up early and heading out to drop them off.

      We were then dropped to Darwin to explore the city by day on foot. The foreshore area was our first stop and it was lovely. We grabbed some breakfast and the girls befriended some other little kids at the playground. 

      We decided to check out the WWII oil storage tunnels, which was a fascinating insight into the bombings that occurred in Darwin during the war. These tunnels were dug by hand to store oil and fuel for the Defence force after 6 large oil storage tanks were destroyed during air raids in 1942. It was hot in there and I can’t even imagine what it would have been like in there back in the day.

      Back on land, the little girls jumped into the water for a little paddle. What a great place to cool off on a hot day! 

      I seized the opportunity of being in the big city to take Scarly to the doctor for her cough, but he assured me she was fine and that it was just a matter of letting her body do its thing. She was hilarious pretending to sleep on a chair in the waiting room 😂

      Then it was back to meet the others for a lunch we had all been looking for – sushi!!! Yum, the girls were hungry and tried to beat all previous records for the amount of salmon avocado nigiri to be consumed in one sitting. I must say it was delicious!

      We wondered around town for a bit longer, but everyone was getting a bit tired and restless in the heat and just from the long day. 

      After a final stop at a cool playground we did a quick loop overlooking the Harbour and headed back to pick up the car as they assured us it would be ready on time… it took a while longer and the squeak that Chris had specifically asked them to locate was still there. So annoying! Anyway, we picked up the van and got back to camp after 6pm, so needless to say there was just time for a quick dinner and early bed. 

      As Chris and I sat having a quiet drink the local cheeky possum kept jumping amongst us, this thing was fearless!

      We had a surprise visit from friends Craig and Jeannette who happened to be staying at the same caravan park and randomly worked out that we were in Darwin at the same time. It is such a small world when you are travelling.

      Kms travelled – 61

    • Day 60 – A pretty uneventful day in the NT

      The sunrise was quite spectacular this morning, my little morning walk buddy Jazzy was ready as always to go and explore. I love all the giant fig trees around here, they are so impressive!

      This morning I had quite a few back to back meetings, so we packed up as much as we could before I started and then Chris took the girls to explore the station. There were farm animals, a playground and a pool, but the girls are still getting better so we managed to negotiate no pool with them.

      Poor Izzy managed to get an injury on the monkey bars and has the worst bruise/bump on her shins from it. The hobbling that day was real! 

      We left Mt Bundy and started heading towards Darwin and the big stretch of highway driving was a welcome stint! It was actually quite unusual to see a traffic light for the first time in a long time… 

      As we approached the city, the girls saw the Golden Arches and the Maccas happy meals called to them. They actually asked about McDonald’s a few thousand kilometres ago and we giggled to ourselves trying to explain that no, there wouldn’t be any in the remote parts of Australia. So it was a cheap win for Chris and I today – so easily pleased 😂

      After that there was a quick stop at Supercheap, Kmart and pharmacy for supplies before we headed to camp. Everyone was quite tired from the adventurous past few days. The afternoon went by fast as we set up and quickly caught up on som work & last minute homework (holidays here we come!). 

      The jumping pillow was a firm favourite again, it’s always an easy way to burn energy before dinner & bed. 

      Kms travelled – 108

    • Day 59 – The simple but wild life

      This morning brought lots more adventures and good times for everyone. At camp, we were able to buy some delicious Johnny cakes – something between a scone and a savoury doughnut. They went down a treat with an assortment of condiments and everyone went back for seconds.

      All the girls made the most of playing in the hay bail playground and making the most of farm life. It really is such a fun place to stay!

      Then Des the owner unleashed the reptiles and the kids got to hold all sorts of creatures – from lizards to turtles to snakes. It was great to see them all step up and be so brave! The big snake got all the kids united… what an amazing experience for them all.

      Shortly after it was time for another round of goodbyes and I know this one was harder as we likely won’t see Chloe, Ben and the girls anymore on our trip and with the Sophie, Oscar and the girls it’s only one definitive catch up before a long stint of not seeing each other…

      We made it to Katherine and had to do a huge shop after eating everything in the van. $450 later we had stocked up on all the essentials for the next little while, meanwhile Chris had given the car & van a good wash so we could continue on our way. 

      We did briefly stop for lunch on the outskirts before driving a bit further out of town. Unfortunately Edith Falls campground was booked out, so we decided to head as far as Adelaide River and stay at Mt Bundy station for the night.

      It was great to be tucked away by the river with only 2 vans around us. We headed out for a walk to explore and saw so many wallaroos. The water at the river looked so murky and croc-infested that Chris decided not to fish there.

      On their way to the toilet with Chris, the big girls encountered a cane toad which jumped up on Chris’ leg – yuk! Lucky it wasn’t me, otherwise the screaming could have been heard in Darwin.

      Kms travelled – 320

    • Day 58 – Little Roper Stock Camp

      Worry not everyone, the tooth fairy found Jazzy’s tooth and she had left a collection of 5 x $1 coins in the bowl. Lucky girl! As a practical mama I noted that I would now have someone to lean on if I needed to borrow $1 coins for the washing machine in the future (to be repaid, of course!).

      It was amazing to see how many people left Daly Waters Pub early and how many were already piling into the caravan park at 10am! This is one place where they seem to be really strict on checkout times… 

      The kids had been enjoying a long play at the playground while I had meetings this morning, and once done we explored some of the quirky displays around the pub. Kevin the crocodile is still going strong and the graveyard of machinery hasn’t changed at all. It’s just more fun for kids!

      Today we only had a short drive (hurrah!) however that didn’t stop Scarly from being upset and in the end I decided to swap seats with Izzy and jump in the back to help calm her down. It worked and shortly after Scarly and Jazzy were both snoring in the back.

      After a quick stop in Mataranka for fuel, supplied and a look at the giant termite mound, we were back on the road to Little Roper. Initially we had planned to take the girls for a swim at all the springs, but I just couldn’t do it with all the coughing and sniffling.

      A few people had recommended Little Roper stock camp, so we decided to give that a try. Luckily for us, Sophie and Oscar had gotten there earlier and were able to save us a spot. It was a really cool place!

      There were hay bails, farm animals galore and generally a great community vibe. Everyone was chatting to each other and the kids could roam. 

      We relaxed and enjoyed an easy afternoon before setting off to a whip cracking show in the early evening. Now that’s something I can’t say I’ve ever seen before, but Nathan “whippy” Griggs was amazing! Photos will never do it justice, you’ve got to see the videos so look him up online, if you can! The kids loved it, the adults loved it and I would highly recommend it to anyone travelling through the area…

      As it was Territory Day today there were fireworks going off all night and there were firebugs everywhere. When we got back, there were a few people who had bought fireworks (on the only day to legally buy fireworks in the NT) and so we got to watch a display.

      After that adults and kids alike were ready for bed. Scarly was overtired from 2 huge, late nights but once she was asleep she slept for 11 hours straight.

      Kms travelled – 190

    • Day 57 – Daly Waters Pub

      The smoke and fire from the night before were nowhere to be seen or smelt this morning, which was great.

      We tried our hardest to leave early and were aiming for 7am, but ultimately set off at 8am this morning. We really should be better at packing up and hitting the road by now, but every time it’s a struggle to leave early or even on time 🫣 

      There were a lot of roadworks happening, which is great to see as so far NT roads have been some of the worst we have driven on. It’s also fascinating to see just how much goes into making roads reasonable! We are so spoilt where we live…

      I won’t lie, it was a hard drive with some big emotions floating around the car and Scarly just can’t get used to not having her way. We had to break up the drive a few times and some dancing at a rest stop finally seemed to help and break the funk everyone was feeling!

      As we neared the Stuart Highway we all felt done for the day, so I suggested just staying in Daly Waters for the night instead of making it our lunch stop. Another tip of the scales came when we heard that our friends Chloe & Ben and their three kids would be staying at Daly Waters tonight also. 

      So we managed to grab a spot at the back of the infamous pub and everyone got stuck into some work/homework before the Kilgus family arrived. The kind caretaker at the caravan park promised us he would keep the spot next to us free. It wasn’t long before they joined us and the girls were thrilled to be playing Uno like in the olden times 😊

      I love how sometimes everything comes together perfectly without much planning! When we finally made it to the beer garden it turned out there was another surprise waiting for us – the O’Bergs had in fact moved their plans and were in Daly Waters a night earlier also. I didn’t even think to check in, thinking we wouldn’t see them until next week. Needless to say the girls were off with all their besties and the adults were having a great catch up.

      Tomorrow was also Territory Day, so it seemed extra busy and extra boozy. The pub itself is as quirky as it’s ever been. I actually don’t think it’s changed a bit since Chris and I were here 11 years ago. The bras, T-shirts and random artifacts are still all over the walls and ceiling and it’s good all the vibes. We’re just a bit older and possibly a smidge more responsible with three kids under our belts.

      The other important news of the day is that Jazzy lost her first ever tooth! She casually walked over from the kids table and said that after it was a bit too wobbly she decided to pull it out 😂🫣

      As the sun set, there was live music, there was dancing and the kids had an absolute blast. Scarly was in her element right at the front of the stage, dancing her little heart out and more confident than any 2 year old I have ever seen!

      Sophie also had a milestone birthday tomorrow so Oscar and the kids organised for cake (a quarter cake in the case of Daly Waters) and then it was back to more dancing. We had to pry the kids away from the dance floor at 8.30/9pm as they just kept asking for one more song. Needless to say they were danced out and ready for bed by then!

      What a fun night though and so many nice people to share it with. Now the only thing left to worry about was whether the tooth fairy would know how to find the tooth in a special bowl in the 4WD in Daly Rovers Pub caravan park…

      Kms travelled -390

    • Day 56 – Southern Lost City

      The girls are all officially sniffing now, these cold nights and warm days have got the better of everyone… poor Jazzy had a terrible sleep because she could barely breathe through her nose 😢

      We grabbed some breakfast and our runners and set off for a day trip to Limmen National Park. Whilst the road wasn’t as bad as we expected, it was still so much easier to drive it without the van.

      As we drove into the Southern Lost City area the sandstone formations started towering to the left and it reminded me of the Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National park in WA a bit. It’s so amazing what nature can create and I’m grateful that we get to explore it on this trip! An explanation of how these were formed in the photos.

      We set off on our hike around the rocks and each turn brought new amazing formations and outlook over the Southern Lost city. We actually had the park to ourselves, which was great.

      The big girls did really well walking and climbing by themselves and as it warmed up we stopped to admire the vista of the valley below us and from what we could see the view of the Western Lost City in the distance. It was spectacular!

      Then the path descended into the sandstone towers again and we saw more incredible formations. The girls also got a feel of spinifex grass, not a nice grass at all that is razor sharp and annoying when you’re walking. I guess that’s why so many people wear long pants on their hikes.

      We had another rest to crack out the lunchbox and eat all the snacks. I feel like we can’t go anywhere for the day without having a fully stocked lunchbox 😂 but whatever keeps the masses going…

      Scarly also decided she was a big girl after our stop and insisted on walking herself. She gave it a red hot go!

      It really was a spectacular place to visit.

      On the way back we decided not to go to Butterfly Falls as it would have added another 2-2.5 hours onto an already long day and no one was going to be swimming there anyway.

      Chris had a few things to do on the van, including trying to fix our step on the van that seems to have had a run-in with a big rock on the last stretch of road. One of the scooters also needed attention, so our mini mechanic Scarly got stuck into that.

      For dinner we had a nice steak, sausage, potato gem and salad favourite and everyone was happy. As the kids settled into bed, we noticed that one of the bush fires that we had driven past earlier was now bigger and scarier looking than before. We could also hear a plane circling above and hoped that there would not be any orders to evacuate during the night as we went to sleep!

      Kms travelled – 310

    • Day 55 – Seven Emu

      We woke up with a beautiful view of the cliffs and Robinson river below. It was very cold in the morning and it seems that all the girls are well and truly sniffly now…

      Chris set off for a morning fish down at the river this morning while the girls and I enjoyed a slow morning at camp. 
      Jazzy found a beautiful beetle that she wanted to keep as a pet (as you do), but in the end we released it. 
      Unfortunately Chris didn’t have any luck with fishing this morning, but there’s always next time…

      Then it was time to get ready and move to the next spot. Chris decided to have a quick look under the car and van and found that one of the electric brake cables had completely chaffed through and that the other one was on its last leg, yikes! Lucky our amazing busy mechanic was able to get enough from his tool boxes to solder them back to a reasonable state. Honestly, Chris is the best person to have on a trip like this, phew!

      Given we set off a couple of hours later than planned we decided to change our plans a bit and only head as far as Borroloola. Luckily the brakes on the van were working well, so that was a big relief. The road was still pretty rough, but I think we had left the worst of the Savannah Way behind us now. I think we’ve come to the conclusion now that the red dust is here to stay for a while and there might not be much point trying to clean it out every time we stop.

      We made it with time to spare for a quick shop at the mini store and again the prices for the local communities shocked me. Our little top up shop was $188, yikes.

      We set up at the caravan park and after chatting to the owners we decided to change our plans a bit and just do a day trip to Limmen National Park from here and then take the highway to Mataranka and beyond rather than the dirt track north of Limmen. That also meant one less day of packing up the van! Win win.

      Everyone was sparkly clean again and Scarly has been practicing riding her big girl scooter, which I must say she is doing really well. The girls also tried to negotiate jumping in the pool, but it was a firm no given their runny noses. Honestly those kids would jump into a pool in any arctic conditions and no matter how sick! 🙄

      We decided to treat ourselves for dinner out and the food was delicious. It was nice to be dust free and sitting at a table with wine in a real glass.

      Kms travelled – 109

    • Day 54 – The road from Hells Gate to NT

      The roosters and other farm animals were up early this morning and made themselves heard. It proved to be a great distraction for the girls while Chris and I packed up. It was also great to see a little playground at the caravan park, the girls loved being right next to it so they could entertain themselves!

      We were back on the road a little later than planned and as we headed to Hells Gate Roadhouse (our original stop the night before) we again were very glad that we changed our plans and just stayed at Tirrina Roadhouse. The road was rough and unpredictable and not what you want to be driving at nighttime.

      There weren’t many stops along the way, as communities such as Doomadgee are closed communities. When we finally reached Hells Gate Roadhouse it was like an oasis surrounded by dirt and red dust. It had lush gardens, a lovely bar/cafe area and a nice playground for the kids. We all felt a pang of disappointment that we didn’t get to stay here last night… but safety first. 

      We met Jenny who had so kindly chatted us through our best options yesterday and she was so kind and offered us some power to plus into for an hour to recharge the van. So we grabbed some snacks from the cafe and the girls enjoyed a runaround while I now had a convenient stop for my meeting! To top the universe looking after us, a tour guide from an organised tour brought us a big bag of snacks and biscuits from their leftover morning tea. Winning!

      Then we had an unknown period of time left to drive to our campsite for the night in the NT. Google Maps was saying it would take 9h55 but other travelers had said that it had taken them anything from 4-6 hours to get there.

      Before we knew it we were at the QLD/NT border and were lucky enough that a nice bloke from a local cattle station happened to be driving past to take a photo of the whole family. He said the cattle station he worked on was 3 million acres – I can’t even fathom the size of that!

      Once we had crossed over the roads got bad, and I mean really BAD. It was corrugated, it was dusty and both the van and car were getting their biggest shake up yet. It was hard to drive and hard for all the little passengers and all iPad rules went out the window just to survive the day.

      We eventually made it to the beautiful Seven Emu station just to see the end of the sunset over the cliffs and river. What a spot and I really wished we had longer to stay here….

      It was a quick dinner and some more stargazing for the big girls. I thought I had read somewhere that there would be a meteor shower tonight, but we certainly didn’t see any more than normal. The stars were however gorgeous and the fire was a nice touch from the cold evening weather.

      Kms travelled – 457


    • Day 53 – 3 dead end roads

      We took our time getting ready today knowing we didn’t have too far to go. The girls were playing together from early morning and making the most of it.

      Then it was time for goodbyes yet again as we work out when our paths will cross again… 

      I had called around all the road houses to check on road conditions and got some positive responses about people recently coming through from Adels Grove.

      The first road we tried had a clear CLOSED sign on it with big warnings of fines up to $22,000 and conditions not being safe. We decided not to do it and turned back to try the alternative.

      The next one didn’t look like much of a road, rather a dirt track which didn’t look like it had been driven in ages. After navigating it for a while we decided to head back to the main road to go around the long way.

      About halfway up we turned off to follow the road that others had taken and an hour or hour and a half later we turned up at a water crossing where we saw a crocodile swim off just as we approached the water. Never a pleasant thought!

      The ground looked really boggy and the crossing was long, so it was impossible to tell how deep or soft the ground was. There were no recent tyre tracks, we hadn’t seen a car since the main road and no one could radio check us on channel 40.
      The croc sighting really didn’t help with the idea of getting bogged in the middle. I think we considered our options for about an hour – tossing up whether we risk it and save time or turn back on ourselves and add another 3 hours to our long day. In the end, we just couldn’t justify risking getting bogged in the middle of croc infested waters with the whole family at dusk time with no one around.

      Chris and I felt really defeated to have hit the third dead end for the day and I had to scramble around to see where we could stop for the night as our original destination of Hells Gate was now just too far to drive in the dark. I spoke to Jenny at Hells Gate and she said she would not recommend that road in the dark with all the potholes and wild horses.

      So I called Tirrina Roadhouse and they said they had a spot for us for the night. When we finally arrived there we had been on the road for 7 hours. The kids had been incredible and we were just so grateful to be safe. Absolutely no regrets about not going through the boggy water!

      The kind owner at Tirrina even made an exception for us and opened the kitchen back up after he closed it for the night 10 minutes prior because he knew we’d had a crappy day. The food was really delicious and after a quick set up we got the masses ready for bed. While I was putting Scarly to bed the big girls saw their first shooting stars of the trip! So that made the day for them…

      Kms travelled – 401

    • Day 52 – Adels Grove

      The mornings have been so cold recently, you can really feel the winter chills during the night and early mornings. Unfortunately it also means that all the kids have got the sniffles and started coughing 😢
      Especially Scarly, the poor thing can barely breathe at night…

      We had a leisurely morning at camp, enjoying not having to move and pack up. Whilst I did some work, Chris ran homework club for the older girls.
      Another caravan park highlight was a free washing machine – oh it’s the little perks! Normally you pay $6/7 a load and they are all preset to cold quick washes, which doesn’t help much with red dirt. Here I was able to do a proper hot wash and the clean clothes actually looked clean. The simple pleasures in life, ha ha

      After lunch we ventured out and hired canoes to explore the waterways. It was a magical looking grove and you could clearly see the flood damage of 2023 still. All those trees had been washed up, with water levels rising some 5-7m that year. Sadly this means that Lawn Hill National Park is still under repair and wouldn’t be open until after we left the area. There is an option to canoe from Adels Grove through 5 sets of rapids and for about 5 hours, but we definitely wouldn’t be doing that!

      We set off in our canoes – Jazzy and papa in one and Scarly, Izzy and I in the other. It was very scenic all around and the water looked like it would have crocodiles, but apparently not. I think anywhere in this part of the world you are just constantly on edge about wildlife…

      We paddled for about an hour before deciding that it was time to start making the return trip. Once back safely the big girls had a little splash in the water before heading back to camp.

      The afternoon brought our friends back for a one night reunion. I took all the girls up to check out the farm animals while the other adults set up camp. There were cows, goats, a kangaroo and even an emu. All of them were very friendly and keen to be fed, so the girls got stuck in. The funniest was seeing a goat enjoy a cold beer!

      The girls loved playing again and we enjoyed a nice dinner together with Oscar and Sophie. Chris our resident firebug made a fire and we enjoyed watching the stars, having a drink and a chinwag. 

      Kms travelled – 0 by road, 2 by canoe

    • Day 51 – Leichhardt Falls and Gregory River

      It was chilly this morning as Jazzy and I woke up early and headed for a walk across the top of the waterfalls. We watched the sun rise and it was beautiful!

      The terrain was giving off a very musky and unpleasant smell and the only thing I can compare it to is the sulphuric pools in NZ, but not quite as strong. After all the van residents tried to blame each other for the smell, we finally realised it was no single human that was responsible for it. Someone at the campsite did have a name for it but I didn’t capture it and apparently the dew saturates the ground and releases it!

      We packed up and jumped in the car to continue on our travels. There was a lot of wildlife to see along the road today and especially some giant birds.

      Our lunch stop for the day was Gregory River, a gorgeous (and popular) spot for a refreshing dip. After a bite to eat the girls grabbed their noodles and goggles and were ready to jump in. Whilst there is a decent flowing the river, there are many turns to stop and jump out and to be honest it’s not very deep, so you can stand up if you need to get out… Chris escorted the girls as they floated down and they kept wanting to do it over and over again.

      Scarly was happy to dip her feet in and splash near the edge of the water on my back. She found a caterpillar on a leaf and enjoyed watching the girls and papa float by. The girls also enjoyed a go on the rope swing above the water. You can see why people enjoy camping here! Although I definitely wouldn’t stay for months like some people shared they were doing… 🤪

      Then it was a final push to Adels Grove. We arrived in the late afternoon and were looking for spots to set up. The first was probably a bit too sunny, so we moved. That’s when we learnt about the horrible spikey burrs all over the ground. They were so painful and sharp, it’s like nothing we had ever stepped on before! Poor Izzy lost her shoe trying to catch up with us and experienced the worst of it… 
      So needless to say we moved again. Third time lucky it was and Chris found a good one with an excellent camp fire pit.

      It was good to finally relax, enjoy some dinner and a drink around the fire at night. 

      Kms travelled – 279

    • Day 50 – Fishing with Friends

      Chris and the girls were off early to head on a fishing charter with their besties. As they set off there was an amazing crescent moon with Venus (?) in full view – whatever star or planet it was, it looked magical.

      Scarly and I managed to balance chores and playground as well as work and iPad time. She is growing up so fast and is getting so confident! Her favourite new thing is going up to people she meets and asking them “what’s your name?”, which always leads to interesting discussions. It’s lovely to see her be so confident and articulate! 

      The great fishermen and women returned with their haul and the adults got to work filleting the catch. I’m excited to have some yummy fish in our food stash. Whilst it wasn’t the greatest charter in terms of quantity of fish caught, it was still a fun day out for everyone and the girls got a great taste for fishing.

      We said our goodbyes yet again and set off. On our way out and travelling through Normanton we also grabbed the token Big Barra and Big Croc photos. I think these are some of the better “Big” landmarks around.

      Our lunch stop was at a lovely Indigenous cafe that had delicious food & iced coffee, but also so much beautiful artwork around. I particularly loved these painted turtle shells!

      Then it was a bit of a drive to our final destination of Leichhardt Falls for the night, but we got there safely, found a nice free camp and enjoyed the view as the sun set over the falls.

      There were some friendly Grey Nomads around and Chris and I enjoyed some laughs by the campfire with them after the kids had gone to bed.

      The night sky was magnificent and with not much light around the stars were beautiful, with many a shooting star. It’s so mesmerising watching the stars when they are so good!

      Kms travelled – 225